You Have to Hear It (4)
The Black Dragon Department, despite moving in secrecy, was the only force in the Central Plains capable of opposing the Martial Alliance.
Naturally, the number of troops under its command was beyond imagination. In terms of simple mobilization alone, it surpassed the Martial Alliance.
Dududududu.
The Iron Cavalry scattered in all directions.
Hwang Seok-tae, watching their movements from atop a hill, spoke to the new Hwa-won.
“Excluding the Iron Cavalry’s sector, the remaining nine hundred will seal off the southern retreat route.”
“That’s how it should be.”
“Even so, the numbers are too few. Without the Intelligence Division reporting the situation moment by moment, the chances of missing them are high.”
“Don’t worry. You know the headquarters’ intelligence surpasses the Martial Alliance’s.”
“Of course, but still.”
“The Mad Wind Unit that went on the mission also said they would seal off the southern retreat route. With the Iron Cavalry forming the first line and the Mad Wind Unit the second, the south should be secure.”
Hwang Seok-tae furrowed his brow.
“The Mad Wind Unit, huh.”
The Mad Wind Unit was also an elite force of the Black Dragon Department, composed of a thousand troops like the Iron Cavalry.
The Iron Cavalry was the strongest unit in the Black Dragon Department. In many respects, that assessment was entirely fitting.
However, no one would deny that the Mad Wind Unit was also a powerful group capable of challenging the Iron Cavalry’s dominance.
Strictly speaking, the Iron Cavalry was a combat unit more specialized in open-field battles and frontal assaults, while the Mad Wind Unit specialized in urban warfare and special operations.
“Well, if even those slippery bastards form a line, the south should be secure.”
His voice carried a note of indifference.
It was only natural. Though the Dragon Fang Iron Cavalry was the strongest in the Black Dragon Department, the Mad Wind Unit was no pushover. Their specialties were so different that they could never get along.
Yet they fully acknowledged each other’s capabilities. That was the nature of their relationship.
“By the way……”
The Hwa-won asked cautiously, unable to contain her curiosity.
“It’s an ill-timed question, but…… what was Vice-Commander Yeon like?”
“Hmm?”
“I heard the previous Hwa-won despised Vice-Commander Yeon. Well, that was inevitable.”
The Hwa-won was a member of the new Twelve Zodiacs. She possessed greater martial prowess than her predecessor and was far more composed.
Before becoming the new Hwa-won under Yang Cheon, she had been known as the Twin Staff Rakshasa, a renowned master in the Black Path famous for her eccentric personality.
Hwang Seok-tae shook his head.
“He’s an unpleasant fellow.”
“Is that so?”
“But his ability is undeniable. I now understand why the Martial Alliance placed such heavy responsibility on the shoulders of a man not yet thirty.”
The Hwa-won’s eyes sparkled.
Though she had only recently joined the Black Dragon Department, she knew how proud and fastidious Hwang Seok-tae was.
For someone like him to already acknowledge Yeon Hojeong meant the man was clearly extraordinary.
‘Well, he’s the one who challenged the Iron Cavalry from the very start.’
The rumor that Yeon Hojeong had undergone his initiation by facing a thousand troops of the Iron Cavalry was well known among the higher-ups.
His martial arts were impressive, but his boldness was truly astounding. Who in the world would dare face the Iron Cavalry alone? That was a matter of courage and confidence before martial skill.
‘Interesting.’
The Hwa-won’s eyes gleamed.
‘I’d like to meet him.’
More than half the higher-ups probably wanted a private conversation with Yeon Hojeong. The other half wouldn’t even want to make eye contact.
“Anyway, I should move as well. What will you do, Hwa-won?”
The Twelve Zodiacs held an extremely high position as direct subordinates of the Lord of the Black Dragon Department.
However, in reality, many higher-ups within the Black Dragon Department surpassed the Twelve Zodiacs in strength. Due to the special nature of their position, everyone simply showed them respect.
For instance, Hwang Seok-tae’s martial arts were a level above the current Hwa-won, the Twin Staff Rakshasa.
Even in the Black Dragon Department, the very embodiment of the strong ruling, there were those who transcended the measure of strength.
That was why Hwang Seok-tae spoke to the Hwa-won in a semi-formal manner.
“Let’s go together. It would be better for me to act as a bridge to relay the southern information anyway.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
Paaang!
The two leaped down the cliff.
It wasn’t just the Iron Cavalry and the Mad Wind Unit.
To the north of the Black Dragon Department, the Dragon Slaying Unit and Tiger Slaying Unit had spread a vast net, while the Blood Eagle Unit and Flying Snake Unit blocked the east and west respectively.
At this level, escape was impossible unless one was a master of the Limitless Realm. Especially in Yeop Seong’s case, although he had absorbed Jeon Hong’s internal energy and original true qi through the Death Absorption Art, he would need time to control it.
Thus, the high-ranking master who was the eldest son of the Lord of the Black Dragon Department had, in an instant, become a prisoner who needed to be captured and dragged away.
Within that chaos, Yeon Hojeong and Kang Liang began targeting places others could not see.
* * *
“This is something.”
Kang Liang clicked his tongue.
“The situation is turning out quite interestingly.”
“Indeed.”
Yeon Hojeong checked the pulse of a fallen corpse.
“The life energy has disappeared, but it wasn’t sucked out by the Death Absorption Art. The cause of death is poisoning. Heart vein rupture due to potent poison.”
He pulled a transparent needle from the nape of the corpse’s neck.
It was so small and transparent that even someone who had cultivated internal energy would struggle to see it. It reminded him of the Tang Family’s Cow Hair Needle.
“Not a Cow Hair Needle.”
Yeon Hojeong looked around.
It wasn’t just one person. Several corpses lay scattered throughout the forest.
They had all died in one place. Every one of them had been struck by poison needles.
“Amazing. These were all formidable experts, yet not one or two, but all of them died.”
“That means they were hit by an unexpected attack in an unexpected situation. Of course, the hidden weapon itself must have been powerful as well.”
Yeon Hojeong, who had been scanning the surroundings, suddenly focused on one spot.
“There it is.”
The place he pointed to was a branch of a large tree with dense leaves. Even in autumn, the tree had not yet been stripped bare.
“The hidden weapon exploded from there. There’s soot on the tree surface. They used gunpowder. It’s an explosive-type hidden weapon.”
“Explosive-type hidden weapon……”
Kang Liang’s eyes deepened.
“Could it be something from the Tang Family?”
The identities of these corpses were several higher-ups of the Black Dragon Department who had sided with Yeop Seong before switching their loyalty back to Bu Seon.
Though they were higher-ups, they held no real power. Their martial arts ranked among the weakest, and they had no other connections.
However, that did not mean their martial arts were absolutely weak. They were weak by the standards of Black Dragon Department higher-ups, but individually they were at a level where they could become the head of a mid-sized or small sect.
“I don’t know if it’s from the Tang Family. Honestly, for hidden weapons of this level of power, no other group comes to mind besides the Tang Family, but……”
There was just one other possibility.
The Five Poisons Palace of the Southern Barbarians. But they were the ones who had clashed with the Tang Family and suffered a crushing defeat. It was questionable whether they even maintained their lineage now.
“At least what’s important now isn’t that.”
Yeon Hojeong furrowed his brow.
“What’s important is, if they had something like this, why didn’t they use it earlier?”
According to Bu Seon, Yeop Seong had been on the verge of death.
Yet Yeop Seong had claimed he had one last move left for his escape. Bu Seon hadn’t been able to catch him because she was caught off guard at that moment.
Yet that guy had hidden weapons too? If he had used them on Bu Seon right there, the tide of battle would have completely turned.
“It’s one of two things. Either a third party is helping Yeop Seong, or Yeop Seong has set up countless traps like this around the Black Dragon Department.”
Kang Liang shook his head.
“It’s hard to believe it’s the latter.”
“Right. There’s no reason to do that. I don’t know what he’s trying to pull, though.”
“Then…… does that mean we have to interpret it as there being a backup plan?”
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes deepened.
‘This is giving me a headache.’
It felt similar to catching spies in the Martial Alliance.
In fact, without knowing Yeop Seong’s intentions, it was difficult to judge whether there really was a backup plan or if traps had been laid throughout the entire Black Dragon Department.
‘When you can’t be certain of anything, choose the most likely possibility.’
It was natural. That’s how they caught spies in the Martial Alliance too.
But……
‘I don’t know why it feels so off.’
Assuming Yeop Seong had learned the Death Absorption Art, someone connected to the Three Sects must have approached him.
If someone had approached Yeop Seong, what had Yeop Seong believed in to accept the Death Absorption Art that ‘he’ had given without suspicion?
No, Yeop Seong’s eye for martial arts was also excellent, so upon receiving the formula for the Death Absorption Art, it wouldn’t have been difficult for him to judge whether it was dangerous or a martial art worth learning.
What was important was the process by which Yeop Seong received the Death Absorption Art from ‘someone.’
‘At the very least, it wouldn’t be from the orthodox righteous factions. Either from the unorthodox or from a branch that Yeop Seong wouldn’t greatly suspect…….’
At that moment.
Yeon Hojeong slightly turned his head toward the southeast.
‘Well, well.’
Fixing his gaze to the southeast, Yeon Hojeong spoke in a calm voice.
“Kang Liang.”
“Yes, brother.”
“Go to the Black Dragon Department right now and report the situation here. Include everything about the poison and hidden weapons.”
“Understood.”
“Be careful of your surroundings. It could be dangerous.”
“Don’t worry.”
Whoosh!
Kang Liang disappeared in an instant. It was the Ghost Shadow Divine Step, which had drawn out the Ghost King True Qi to its limit.
It was a movement that prioritized stealth and mobility in the forest over speed. At that level, he would be able to reach the Black Dragon Department without being detected.
Shing.
Yeon Hojeong drew the Black Dragon Axe and followed the traces.
Yeop Seong’s footprints were faintly left. There were no bloodstains, perhaps because he had properly stopped the bleeding.
Yeon Hojeong walked cautiously but at a fairly fast pace.
‘Interesting.’
He felt a poisonous qi subtly emanating from the southeast.
It wasn’t ordinary poisonous qi. It was a sticky, indescribable energy mixed with sinister killing intent and death qi.
‘The bastard is watching me.’
In fact, that was also ambiguous.
It clearly felt like he was watching, but I couldn’t tell from where he was observing.
‘Whatever it is, if he’s already spotted me, there’s no reason to hide his presence.’
Whoosh.
Yeon Hojeong naturally released his qi.
Ziiiiing.
The Yeon Family Divine Elixir began to rotate, and the divine qi of the Four Gods emitted a sacred light from each part of his body.
Whoosh!
The wave of qi that spread low and then suddenly expanded in all directions was tremendous.
Swoosh swoosh swoosh swoosh!
The energy was so fierce that various animals such as birds, mice, and snakes hiding in the trees scattered in all directions.
‘…….’
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes deepened.
‘Is he flustered?’
I couldn’t tell. The distance was too far. It wasn’t easy to read.
Yeon Hojeong awakened his five senses to the maximum.
At that moment.
Boom!
Before the loud noise even erupted, Yeon Hojeong’s body soared high into the sky.
Pabababababak!
Countless needles embedded themselves in the spot where Yeon Hojeong had been standing.
Hisss!
The weeds and fallen leaves hit by the needles began to melt, emitting white smoke.
It was a vicious poison. It was much more poisonous than the poison lurking in the bodies of the corpses he had seen earlier.
‘Crazy.’
Yeon Hojeong was flustered.
‘Does that mean he really has hidden weapons installed everywhere?!’
At that moment.
Beyond the blurred vision, he realized that the opponent had once again accurately captured him.
Flash!
Yeon Hojeong’s eyes blazed with light.
When the opponent looked at him, he too recognized the opponent. Yeon Hojeong accurately grasped even how far away the opponent was in the southeast.
Paaang!
Yeon Hojeong, who had been charging fiercely while stepping on tree branches, soon landed at the entrance of a wide clearing.
And there.
There was a man.